Far North Queensland

Regional delivery — Queensland Budget 2022-23

$1.2B
Capital program
2
Tracked initiatives

Highlights

  • •$1.2B on infrastructure and capital works supporting around 3,900 jobs
  • •$20.6M for the Far North Queensland film studio in Cairns
  • •Cairns Hospital expansion
  • •$1.5B on health for Torres and Cape and Cairns and Hinterland services

Health & social services

Social housing

$172.9M investment

Capital works & projects

12 projects from the Regional Delivery Plan.

Health4 projects
Cairns Hospital new mental health facility and emergency department expansion$66.1M (2022-23, $123.2M total)
Atherton Hospital redevelopment$12.2M (2022-23, $74.8M total)
Thursday Island Hospital and primary health care centre redevelopment$11M (2022-23, $50.7M total)
Building Rural and Remote Health Program - Phase 2 (incl. Bamaga, Cow Bay, Pormpuraaw)$943.5M over 7 years (statewide)
Transport2 projects
Bruce Highway, Cairns Southern Access Corridor (Stage 3), Edmonton to Gordonvale construction$117.4M (2022-23, $481M total)
Peninsula Developmental Road (Coen - Weipa), Archer River Crossing bridge$25.3M (2022-23, $44.9M total)
Safety1 project
Woree police facility expansion$6M (2022-23, $9.2M total)
Infrastructure2 projects
Cairns Water Security Program (Stage One)$107.5M (subject to business case)
Cairns Marine Precinct expansion$150M
Community2 projects
Cairns Convention Centre expansion and refurbishment$46.2M (2022-23, $176M total)
Wangetti Trail (Palm Cove to Port Douglas)$9.4M (2022-23, $481M total)
Economy1 project
Screen Queensland - Far North Queensland film studio in Cairns$13.4M (2022-23, $20.6M total)

Source: Regional Delivery Plan. Not all projects have published amounts.

Region-specific budget initiatives

Building Rural and Remote Health Program - Phase 2$943.5M totalNewCapitalAnnounced

Rural and remote communities get replacement hospitals and health facilities and better accommodation for health staff.

General Government capital, $943.5 million over 7 years from the Sustaining Capital Program. BP4 does not separately disclose a 2022-23 budget-year figure for this measure, so the budget-year amount is recorded as null.

Queensland HealthHealthRegional Queensland
Priority Regional Water Infrastructure$199.5M totalNewCapitalAnnounced

Regional communities get investment in water security infrastructure such as the Cairns Water Security Program and Mount Morgan Pipeline.

General Government. $199.5 million towards priority regional water infrastructure projects (Budget Highlights). The individual project lines in BP4 show no separately disclosed 2022-23 budget-year amount (largely held centrally), so the budget-year figure is recorded as null.

Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and WaterRegional QueenslandEnvironment

Statewide measures

Most budget measures are allocated statewide rather than to individual regions. The full budget overview lists all 50 tracked initiatives, many of which deliver services in Far North Queensland. The Regional Delivery Plan (linked below) details specific capital works and programs for this region.

Source document

Regional Delivery Plan — Far North Queensland (PDF)

Last updated: 2026-06-21. Factual information from published budget documents.